Chili Verde

Tonight, my friends and I had a chili cook-off, because chili is delicious and we like to cook. Alyssa made traditional chili, Laura made white chili, and I invented green chili! I wasn't sure what I was doing, because I've never made chili before, so I bought some things that sounded good and put them together.

Chili Verde

1 can lima beans
1lb ground turkey
5 tomatillos
2 jalapenos
1 anaheim pepper
1 green bell pepper
1/2 onion
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
2tsp fresh cilantro
1 cup chicken broth, thickened with flour
salt & pepper

Brown & drain the meat, chop the veg, toss everything in a crock pot!

I was hoping for more of a cilantro-lime flavor, but they weren't as strong as I was looking for. You could add more of those to bring out the flavors, or more hot peppers for more heat.

Happy Halloween

My First Apartment

This is where I live now! It's all clean and pretty cause I haven't been here that long, but maybe I'll keep it that way for a while.

All the fun I've had in my days off

Friday was a wonderful magical day. I went to the Gurnee Farmer's Market and bought yarn & tasty tasty bread, rode some rollie coasters with a friend, stopped at a garage sale and got the Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book <3, finished my online class, then drove up to the Mars Cheese Castle to switch cars with my sister, then listened to a mixed cd that was my own personal radio station. All in all a magical day.

Today I went to Chicago with my friend Chris. We rode the Metra into the city, then we walked to Millenium Park and Navy Pier and the Magnificent Mile. I found $40 in the bathroom (I still feel bad for whoever dropped it) and had a great time all around. I plan on going back with Brian when he comes down to visit because he would love it.

Six Flags Day!

I had a really good day today. The morning started out kind of blah, because we didn't have picnics till 1:00pm, so from 8:30 on we had about 20 people trying really hard to keep busy. I ended up at the gate taking tickets, which is fun because I get to be friendly to guests all day, and I really do feel like I was above and beyond with friendliness today. I got a free lunch on my break, because my friend Matt in Security invited me to their cookout. The food was sooooooooooo good and soooooo much better than the 4-day-old PBJ I was planning on eating for lunch. Matt and I had a nice chat about Germantown and what I want to do with my life. Everyone I talk to at work seems to want to know what I want to do with my life, I should start making up crazy things. I was back at the gate for another hour or two, and then Cheryl had me go home so that I can stay later tomorrow. Dollars to donuts I'm going to get sent home early tomorrow when I hit 50 hours, but hey, I'll live. On the drive home, I saw a stretch limo that was a pickup truck. It blew my mind.

While waiting for my chocolate-covered strawberries to harden...

I am in a happy place. My boss took me aside to talk to me today, and I was all prepared to get yelled at and cry, but no! He told me I was doing a good job!

I am enjoying a mix CD from my darling seester. I would kind of rather sit and listen to the tunes than watch a show.

For the second year in a row, I'm not doing celebratory things for 4th of July, partly because I have a schoolgirl crush on my hometown's festivities. Last year I didn't want to try some other town's party cause it just wouldn't be the same. This year, I just don't really feel like it, I don't feel like I'm missing out or anything.

Things I Didn't Know I Knew

I went out to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes tonight. It's endless salad, soup, and other tasty things. At first I wasn't thrilled to pay ten dollars for a salad, but then I was thinking that it was reasonable. I don't eat salad or soup very often, so it's more cost effective for me to go out for it than to buy it with normal grocieries. Also, food cost. The actual food I consumed may have only cost three or four dollars, but they have to pay utilities, their staff, etc. So I guess I did learn something in school.

I have decided to buy the dinosaur belt from Hot Topic, but now the mall is closed so I'll have to do it another day. I'm hoping I brought my dinosaur shirt with me, but I don't think I did. That would have made a fun rave outfit.

Sadly, the shins still hurt from yesterday. Hope that goes away.

Pros & Cons

We'll start with cons:
Work was a Murphy's Law day - everything that could go wrong, did
Work started at 6am today and lasted till 5pm with only a 15 minute break
Work will be uber lame tomorrow
I will get 6 hours of sleep at best tonight (actually that's not as bad as I thought)
This bra does not go with this dress
This cafe is in Milwaukee and I am usually not

And now for the pros:
Overtime, chaCHING!
I actually kinda facilitated almost all of a Special Event
The weather was unbelievably lovely and I got to enjoy it
Being at work early meant a fantabulous parking spot
I am at an amazing cafe in Milwaukee
I am mere moments away from being with my brother! And seeing her new apt!
I am mere hours away from being at Summerfest to see Barenaked Ladies!!!!!!!!
I am mere weeks away from Brian!
I had a friendly conversation with the guy that sold me my car charger for my phone

Stop being counterproductive, yo!

So my main issue this summer is that I feel a bit lonely and wish I had people to hang out with. However, instead of doing something about it, I spend my time on my laptop with headphones in or alone in my room. The goal is to actually talk to people, and maybe not be so lame and lonely.

Also, food: I has it.
I'm still getting used to this dining-hall-free lifestyle, and I feel like I'm spending too much money on grocieries. It's entirely possible that I am, but it's probably more likely that I'm just not used to the sheer volume of food I actually consume. A lot of it is also that I feel the need to have back-up food, and to have lots of options. So for the next undetermined amount of time, I am going to not buy grocieries until I actually run out of food. I think this is going to be hard for me, especially when I run out of peanut butter & jelly (which i take to work for lunch every day). I think I can last quite a while, but it will be very, very hard.